320 species of birds are so far check listed from Periyar. The
birds include raptors, water birds, galliform birds, pigeons, wood
peckers and passerines. The reserve has a good distribution of southern
western ghat endemics. All disjunct species, that occur in the eastern
Himalaya but absent in between are reported from Periyar. A third
of all the birds found in Periyar are trans-asian migrants.

The
great pied hornbillBuceros bicornis, enjoys a wide distribution in the
evergreen and semi-evergreen forest tracts at all elevations.
Their distribution appears to be related to the occurrence
of old growth forest patches of trees belonging to Moraceae
and Lauraceae.

The ceylon frogmouth Batracostomus moniliger,
a nocturnal bird is commonly found in the moist forests of
the reserve.